Xi, May push to advance ties

President: Use strategic, overall vision as guide

China and Britain should enhance connection of development strategies and deepen cooperation in such areas as finance, nuclear power and investment, President Xi Jinping told visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday.

The two countries should design bilateral ties from a strategic and overall vision, continue to carry forward high-level dialogues in strategic, financial and cultural areas, and enhance exchanges between the legislatures, political parties and militaries of both sides, Xi said.

The president called on the two countries to boost mutual understanding, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and properly handle sensitive issues.

The two countries should explore cooperation in new industrial areas such as artificial intelligence, green energy, digital economy and shared economy, Xi said.

Xi stressed that China supports economic globalization and free trade.

Calling the Belt and Road Initiative an open, transparent, inclusive and mutually beneficial proposal, Xi said that China and Britain could have a higher level of cooperation under the Belt and Road framework.

Britain was the first Western power that acknowledged the People's Republic of China, and the two countries have made great achievements in cooperation in all areas, Xi said.

Xi said he had met with May twice, at the G20 Hangzhou Summit in 2016 and G20 Hamburg Summit last year, adding that he had good discussions with her during the meetings.

This visit is expected to promote bilateral high-level exchanges, enhance practical cooperation, and inject impetus into the two nations' ties, Xi said. May is making her first state visit to China since she took office in 2016 and will finish her three-day trip in Shanghai on Friday.

Xi said that the global situation is experiencing unprecedented and complex changes, and China and Britain, as major countries, shoulder special responsibility in dealing with common challenges such as climate change.